Red-zone disasters haunting Chargers

Mistakes plaguing offense all season

And last week, Adam Vinatieri was able to win it with a 51-yard field goal as the clock bled out because the Chargers scored a touchdown on just one of their three red-zone drives.

Those are just the losses in the closing seconds.

The Chargers were going to take the lead in Buffalo when Rivers was intercepted in the end zone and ended up losing by 9. They failed on fourth-and-goal at the 1 in a 17-10 loss at Miami. They scored three touchdowns and three field goals in six red zone trips in a 37-32 loss to New Orleans.

In all, the Chargers have driven inside their opponents' 20-yard line 42 times, eighth-most in the league. But they have touchdowns on just 20 of those drives, a 47.6 percent efficiency that ranks 25th.

After scoring fewer than 24 points just once in the first six games, the Chargers have scored 20 or fewer points in all but one of their past five games.

It's not because they've stopped moving the ball.

They're averaging almost 10 yards more per game over the past five games than they did over the first six.

It isn't coincidence that in that span they have scored just nine touchdowns in 21 red-zone appearances. They have come away without any points in three of those 21 drives.

In the past two games – both losses in the final seconds – they are just two-of-six scoring TDs in the red zone.

As it affects them in other parts of the game, the Chargers' lack of a consistent and powerful running game is hindering them.

They have just four red-zone rushing touchdowns. In 2006, when they led the NFL with a 67.7 percent TD efficiency, LaDainian Tomlinson had 24 rushing touchdowns from inside the red zone, 13 from inside the 5. This year, the Chargers are averaging just 8.4 rushing yards per game in the red zone.

“We had two plays Sunday where we were one block away,” head coach Norv Turner said. “From the end zone (view on tape), it looks like we're going to walk into the end zone. We've got to execute better. We try to run the ball. We've got to run the ball better.”

Three turnovers inside the red zone in the past five weeks (four losses) have left Turner longing for even field goals.

“We've been in too many situations the past month where we've ended up with no points,” Turner said.

But the real issue, everyone involved with the offense knows, is a lack of end zone trips.

“We know we can be more effective,” Gates said. “We're not anywhere near what we can be. . . . It's us saying we have to be disciplined once we get in the red zone – eliminate penalties, eliminate mental mistakes, eliminate turnovers. Those really have cost us the games.”